Sport Features

Senior Sport Features

Leah Doezema

by ETHAN GREMEL staff writer

Shot put and discus definitely aren’t as easy as they may seem, but Leah Doezema ‘21 makes it look easy. Many challenges come into play while competing in these kinds of sports. “The mental aspect of it” is the toughest part for Doezema. “You are competing against yourself, it’s such an individual sport in a very team oriented environment.” Despite the constant struggle of a mental roadblock, Doezema still loves many things about shot put and discus. “I love how it is limitless, there is no limit to how far I throw or how much better I get at my technique,” she adds, “I can always throw farther. I like that I am always able to get better at what I’m doing.”. Doezema is a leader on the Traverse City Central’s track and field team, and she has

Photo: Courtesy of L. Doezema grown a sense of appreciation for the people she is constantly around, “I really love the people I’ve grown close with. [We] have a really fun time when we are together. I look forward to going to track and being around those people, and also just being better at my sport every day.” Doezema has been through a lot, undergoing two knee surgeries while playing basketball and volleyball, but “shot put ended up being something that not only was fun, but it was something that didn’t hurt my knees.” Her love for track and field started in 8th grade, but she isn’t finished. Doezema hopes to continue shot put and discus long into her college career. // Sarah Beattie ‘21, team captain for Central’s downhill ski team, recently reflected on her experiences with the ski team. “It was definitely a lot of fun…this year there were obviously a lot of things we couldn’t do because of COVID that we usually do, but it was still super fun,” Beattie comments. Since being a freshman, Beattie has won at both the Big North Conference and Regional finals. This year, the team came together and won States. “We usually have a team dinner before the race the next day, and we couldn’t do that this year,” adds Beattie. “That was kind of hard because those are always super fun and a really good bonding experience for the whole team, especially the Freshman.” Beattie enjoyed her time as the team captain and will continue to cherish the memories she’s made, despite the challenges COVID-19 brought this season. She plans on attending University of Colorado Boulder for International and Global Studies next fall, and looks forward to hitting the slopes out west. //

Sarah Beattie

by SAMUEL ELKINS staff writer

Photo: Courtesy of S. Beattie

Austin Bills

by KRISTOFFER GORNY staff writer

Photo: Courtesy of A. Bills Austin Bills ‘21 is a successful wrestler at Central, but he hasn’t been wrestling his whole life. He was playing football when Coach Odette thought he should be doing wrestling because it would help him get in shape for the following season. This year, Bills hit his 100th career win on Central’s wrestling team. “It was a very big accomplishment for me,” says Bills. Even though this is a great accomplishment, Bills wishes he could have gotten more wins. During Bills’ first match, he was very nervous, but now competing feels like second nature to him, “instead of being nervous, I just try to stay pumped up and ready.” With all of the hard work during practice, he does not exhaust himself before a match. “All I do before a match is a little stretching, and listen to music to pump me up.” Central’s great coaching staff have worked hard to make all of the wrestlers exceptionally good, including Bills, “all [of] the coaches have helped so much in making me a good wrestler.” Bills hopes that what he has accomplished here at Central will have a great impact on his future. //

Ondrea Ream

Bowling is often looked at as something fun to go out and do with your friends, but many people fail to recognize it as a competitive sport. Ondrea Ream ‘21 sees bowling as just that. “It sounded like a lot of fun and it’s not something that’s super hard to learn…but it gets competitive as you get better at it,” explains Ream. Bowling is very different compared to other sports, and in some cases harder to master. “Learning how to pick up the crazy random spares and splits [even though] you can visualize how to pick them up…is the hardest part,” describes Ream. The game is an individual game and a team game as Ream puts it, and that is part of the reason she enjoys it so much. Ream has gotten very good at bowling over her time playing, and her hard work paid off when she bowled a 248 during her first game of states last year. While bowling may not be the first thing that you think of when it comes to sports, Ream proves that bowling can be worth the time and effort. //

by AIDEN PRESTON staff writer

Photo: Courtesy of O. Ream

Carson Briggs

by ETHAN GREMEL staff writer

Despite a season full of delays and quarantines, Traverse City Central’s football team made headlines this year when they made it to the state semi-finals. Star player Carson Briggs ’21, helped lead Central’s football team to an incredible season, and he felt that going to the state semi-final game in his senior year is his favorite memory to date. “It was a super long season because of delays, but making it that far was super fun, and it was a fun road.” Briggs grew up with football, “I’ve played it my whole life, and I just really fell in love with it. And I got pretty good at it.” Briggs’ favorite part of football is the team aspect, “Playing with your friends all the time - all

Photo: Courtesy of C. Briggs my friends growing up played football and everything, so always being with them and having a brotherhood - it’s just something I really fell in love with” says Briggs. Even after moving to his new team next year at college, Briggs will continue to set high standards for himself, “I will bring my leadership, and I [will] try to help out anybody I can, whenever I can.” //

Ivy Walker

Ivy Walker ‘21 is a member of the CHS girls tennis team and has always loved the sport, “my mom played tennis when she was younger, and I’ve tried a lot of sports, but I have always been drawn to tennis.” Walker has made many friends and had many memorable experiences in her time playing at Central. “My coaches have always been really supportive,” Walker comments. “I love that it’s both a team sport and an individual sport. We cheer each other on as a team but I love the self-reliance on the court and being able to control the point myself.” The help and encouragement from other players has made her technique in the sport better too. “It’s a very mental game,” Walker adds. She enjoys many aspects of playing on Central’s tennis team but feels that “the best part about competing is traveling with the team.” Walker is planning on pursuing tennis at Kalamazoo College next fall. //

by AVERIE MCGRAW staff writer

Photo: Courtesy of I. Walker